A productive yet often overlooked strategy for reading the Book of Proverbs is to read more than one verse at a time. Some proverbs are meant to be read with other proverbs. As it is with words, so it is with these compact sayings: proverbs...

What is wisdom? The definitions abound. Samuel Coleridge proposed that wisdom is common sense in an uncommon degree. Charles Spurgeon suggested that wisdom is the right use of knowledge. Frances Hutchison maintained that wisdom is pursuing the best ends by the best...

Covenant language in the ancient Near East used formulary language: "If . . . then." This formula is expressed in the covenant God made with Israel (Deuteronomy 28:1). One of the blessings of living in covenant with God was the acquisition of wisdom—the...

One of the oldest legacies in the Israelite redemption narrative is the legacy of guidance. The Hebrew slaves learned early on that the God who redeemed them was a God who would guide them. And they needed guiding. The slaves had never been out of Egypt and...

To gain the desires of one's heart means being fully focused with one's heart. A godly focus requires:

• Dependence – Trust in the Lord
• Dedication – With all your heart
• Discipline – Lean not on your own understanding
• Discernment – In all your ways...

A humble spirit says, "I need God."

A hungry soul says, "I will have God."

A hearing heart says, "What are you saying to me, God?'

A heedful mind says, "I will do it."

Nobody has ever had a perfect day. We have "perfect storms" but not perfect days. Yet Proverbs says that if we are on the path of having trusted Christ and the light has shined into our hearts, we are headed toward the perfect day....

When we pray as God's people, God hears us. He especially delights in the prayers of those who walk uprightly, in contrast with the hypocrisy of the wicked. There are three proverbs that tell us this:

• Proverbs 15:8 says, "The sacrifice of...